BLM
Nevada News
Carson City District Office No. CCDO 13-26
For Release: February
26, 2013
Wild Horse Bait Trapping Effort in
Carson City to Continue
in Order to Prevent Safety Issues
BLM to Hold Adoption of Gathered Horses
Carson City, Nev. – On Jan. 23, 2013, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Carson City District Office began removing 11 problem wild
horses on the outskirts of Carson City, Nevada.
The horses are a part of the Pine Nut Mountains herd management area
(HMA) that is adjacent to Deer Run Road in Carson City. These horses routinely cross the Carson River
into River View City Park, where the BLM has received several complaints of
people feeling threatened by the wild horses.
The horses are outside of HMA boundaries the majority of the time and
residents, especially horse owners, can quickly find themselves in potentially
dangerous situations as domestic wild horse encounters can be very
unpredictable and uncontrollable.
Two weeks ago, after gathering five of the 11 horses, the
BLM took a break from bait trapping due to some community concerns, and the BLM
met with constituents to hear their position and
potential solutions.
The community group submitted ideas that were
considered, but they did not address and resolve all of the public safety
problems.
The BLM has posted the
community’s proposals, as well as its information regarding the viability of
these solutions, on its website at
www.blm.gov.
“While the BLM recognizes that these horses have been part
of the community out here for many years, we also have a responsibility to keep
wild horses from creating a safety hazard or threatening the well-being of the
community and its animals,” said Leon Thomas, Sierra Front Field Manager. “We truly appreciate the ideas people
provided us for alternative solutions, but after thoroughly considering each
one, they won’t truly eliminate the concerns from other community members. The community has offered a proposal that is
a great starting point for working with local residents and the city to ensure
we have long-term solutions in place, so we don’t find ourselves in this
position again. I’m looking forward to
getting the various groups involved.”
Four horses have been struck and killed by vehicles since
2010; however, the Carson City District isn’t always notified of collisions, so
this number could be higher. Since June
of 2011, the district has removed five stallions in response to complaints. These complaints ranged from concern for the
safety of residents’ children, as some of these stallions approached residents’
children in an aggressive manner while the children were riding horses or
caring for their own horse, to other stallions that were fighting with domestic
horses through fences. In all
complaints, there were safety concerns and property damage.
The BLM follows the Code of Federal Regulations 4720.2-1,
which mandates the removal of strayed animals from private lands based on
written request from landowners. The
bait trapping is in response to several complaint letters the BLM has received
in past months from private landowners.
The gathered horses will be offered for adoption as soon as
possible, hopefully within in the next month or so, at Silver Saddle Ranch, and
details will be forthcoming and will be posted on the BLM Nevada website at
www.blm.gov.
The appropriate management level for the Pine Nut Mountains HMA
is 119 to 179 with a current population of 293, so relocating these horses away
from homes to a different part of the HMA would only add to the existing
resource issues. Additionally, the
horses could move back to the neighborhood if released. Any animals removed will be transported to
the Northern Nevada Correctional Center outside Carson City, and prepped for
the upcoming adoption.
-BLM-
 |
| SAY GOOD-BYE |
